POM is one of the strongest plastics available. Tough, impact resistant and with good sliding properties.

POM or Polyacetal is a hard thermoplastic for engineering applications. You encounter POM in high-performance mechanical parts (gears, skis, plastic nuts and bolts, locks, etc). It is widely used in automotive and consumer products.

Properties

• Good resistance to chemicals
• High dimensional stability
• Low moisture absorption

POM has a hard surface (shore °D 81), a wide temperature range (-50 ... 100°C). It is so strong and tough that it is comparable to epoxy and polycarbonate, with the advantage that POM can be lasered.

POM has a low coefficient of friction of 0.36. The static and dynamic coefficients of friction are the same so there is no stick-slip. POM is also wear resistant and for both of these properties, POM is well suited for sliding or sliding parts. Polyacetal is also a good insulator with a breakdown voltage of 50kV/mm.

Production

Polyacetal is formed by injection molding or extrusion. The plates we laser cut are extruded. Please note; plates may vary in thickness. The thickness tolerance for a selected plate thickness is shown in the table. 

Our plates are available in black or natural. The natural variant is slightly translucent.

POM Processing

After lasering, parts can be machined (drilling, milling). If required, we can countersink holes and tap threads in POM.

POM can hardly be glued and painted. The surface is somewhat waxy and there are virtually no adhesives that adhere well. Various adhesive films do adhere well, however.

Edge quality of laser-cut POM

The laser cut in POM is neat and does not discolor. On thicker sheets (>6 mm), a small melting edge may occur on the underside of the sheet. This can be removed with a deburring knife or by sanding. The top side of the cut is clean and sharp.

If you prefer not to have to do any post-processing, you can also opt for protective film on the underside when ordering. You will then receive the parts with foil, and after removal the melting edge is also gone because it remains on the foil. 

Applications of POM/polyacetal

Gears, plain bearings, housing parts, spring (compliant) mechanisms, rings, seals, Insulators, mounting plates, picks, keyboards, etc.